The World Cup has officially arrived, and the Ladbrokes blog is your one-stop shop for daily tips ahead of all the key games. From the Group Stages, right through to the World Cup Final, check back each day to find out who our football expert is backing!
Group Stage
Panama vs England Predictions – Group L (Match 9)
Top plays bottom in this Group L fixture as England look to prove to the world that last week’s scoreless draw against Ghana was a one-off.
Panama fell 1-0 to Ghana in their opener and suffered the same fate against Croatia last week, disappointing results for a side that has been up against it on the injury front with Adalberto Carrasquilla and captain Anibal Godoy both missing in action.
The Three Lions annihilated Panama when they met in the 2018 tournament, prevailing 6-1.
Given Panama’s inability to score goals, plus the fact they’ve conceded a grand total of 15 goals now on the World Cup stage, it’s easy to side with England in what could be another statement game from Harry Kane and company.
Prediction: England to Cover (-2.5 Goals) @ $2.20
Value: England to Win & Over 3.5 Goals @ $2.25
Player Pick: Marcus Rashford 2+ Shots on Target @ $1.95
Croatia vs Ghana Predictions – Group L (Match 10)
It’s win or go home for these two Group L combatants with the third spot in the standings up for grabs.
The formula for Ghana is simple: at the very least salvage a draw, Meanwhile, Croatia needs all three points to keep their tournament alive.
Ghana has proven a tough out through two games so far, hunkering down defensively last week against England in a memorable scoreless draw. The Black Stars sit one of the top spot on goal difference alone, and they may feel like they need a reward for effort despite being smashed in possession against The Three Lions.
Croatia steadied to knock off Panama 1-0 last week, but they’ve still lacked some serious poise in the final third. Defensively, they were much improved after conceding four goals to England the game prior, but with Ghana just looking to walk away with some form of points, this figures to be a slow game unless Croatia come out firing from the get-go.
Prediction: Draw @ $3.35
Value: Ghana to Cover (+1 Goal) @ $2.00
DR Congo vs Uzbekistan Predictions – Group K (Match 9)
DR Congo have been one of the more stubborn sides in the group, holding Portugal to a 1-1 draw before going down 1-0 to Colombia in a game where they still made life difficult.
They are physical, organised, and tough to break down, with Yoane Wissa offering pace in transition and Cedric Bakambu giving them a focal point up front.
Uzbekistan, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win and have struggled to put together a complete performance across their opening two games.
This looks like the kind of tight, grinding contest DR Congo are built for, and they look the more likely side to edge it.
Prediction: DR Congo to Win @ $1.75
Value: Draw @ $3.90
Player Pick: Cedric Bakambu Anytime Goalscorer @ $2.50
Colombia vs Portugal Predictions – Group K (Match 10)
The top of Group K is the focus on Sunday with both sides carrying plenty of quality in the final third.
Colombia have looked sharp so far, with Luis Diaz giving defenders nightmares out wide and James Rodriguez still adding that bit of calm and creativity between the lines.
Portugal, meanwhile, have enough firepower to trouble anyone, even if they have not quite hit top gear yet.
Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva can control the tempo, while Cristiano Ronaldo remains the obvious focal point in the box – even if he’s copped a bit of criticism so far.
Colombia might be the more settled side right now, but Portugal’s class should make this a proper contest, and one that features a few goals.
Prediction: Both Teams to Score @ $1.91
Value: Colombia to Win @ $4.20
Player Pick: Luis Suarez Anytime Goalscorer @ $3.90
Jordan vs Argentina Predictions – Group J (Match 9)
Argentina have looked every bit the side to beat so far, and this feels like another good chance for Lionel Scaloni’s men to keep building momentum.
Lionel Messi has rewound the clock and dazzled with five goals thus far, and with Julian Alvarez pressing high and stretching defences – and Lautaro Martinez offering another quality option in the final third – Argentina have too many ways to hurt teams.
Jordan have battled hard, but they are likely to spend long periods without the ball here, and that is a dangerous place to be against a side this composed.
If Argentina get on top early, they should control this pretty comfortably.
Prediction: Argentina to Cover (-2 Goals) @ $2.45
Value: Correct Score – Argentina 3-0 @ $7.25
Player Pick: Jose Lopez Anytime Goalscorer @ $2.00
Algeria vs Austria Predictions – Group J (Match 10)
We’re off to Kansas City for the final game on Sunday with second and third yet to be decided in Group J.
Austria have stood up to the pressure in their first World Cup tournament in 28 years, posting an opening 3-1 win against Jordan, before succumbing to the juggernaut that is Argentina – or should we say, Lionel Messi – last week.
Algeria has also showed some fight, particularly last week when they clawed back from an early 0-1 deficit to Jordan to go on and win 2-1.
It’s hard to feel overly confident in either side, but there’s been some promising signs from Austria’s point of view with Marcel Sabitzer driving things from midfield, Christoph Baumgartner finding pockets between the lines, and Marko Arnautovic giving them a strong presence up front.
It feels like both sides will crack the scoresheet, but after working hard to salvage something last week against Jordan, it’s fair to wonder if Algeria has what it takes to repeat that effort.
Prediction: Austria to Win @ $2.90
Value: Both Teams to Score @ $2.00
Player Pick: Marko Arnautovic Anytime Goalscorer @ $3.40